Hey I haven’t posted in a while, so what better way to come back than with a controversial opinion? Some quick background here before I dive in: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was my favorite film in the series when I was little (think 12 or below). While my views have shifted on it, I want to be clear that I’m not saying this film is bad. Having just seen Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, my personal opinion is there are no bad Indiana Jones movies (as of 2023). I know, that opinion may be more controversial than this article’s title.
So why am I taking a shot at one of the most popular Indiana Jones films ever made? Well, it’s not for the sake of being negative. I think there’s enough negativity in online geek culture already. I think, to better appreciate the later Indiana Jones sequels (and newer films in general), it’s important to take off the nostalgia goggles whenever possible and actually ask the serious question: “Were all the movies I loved as a kid actually like, the best movies ever made…or was it just that I was a kid?”
I have seen every Indiana Jones movie within the last two weeks and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade stuck out to me on rewatch, and not always for great reasons. I’ll hopefully be doing a superlative award post on Indiana Jones movies soon, in which Last Crusade will be mentioned favorably several times but, for now, let’s dig in. Why don’t I think Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is all that great?
Elsa and Donovan: Indy’s Weakest Adversaries
Indiana Jones has some great villains and, when they work, they are real strengths to the movie. On paper, Elsa Schneider (played by Alison Doody) should be excellent. She’s a twist on the (at the time) traditional Indiana Jones love interest. He’s met a beautiful woman who shares his love of archeology and we, the audience, are all set for another romantic adventure – just like with Marion or Willie. But then, the rug is pulled out! Elsa is a Nazi and she…wait, why is Elsa a Nazi?
Now ordinarily I don’t want Indiana Jones movies with a researcher’s eye on character motivation – these aren’t that type of movie, but Last Crusade consistently throws Elsa at odds with Nazi values and actions. Despite her initial betrayal, where she gleefully betrays Indiana and his father, Elsa follows this action by showing constant worry and concern for their safety. It’s pretty clear she doesn’t want them to be killed…despite putting them into harm’s way.
Then there’s the book burning scene, where we see a teary-eyed Elsa cringe at the destruction of knowledge and the loss of art and history. She really seems to want no part of it – and yet she’s a special guest to Hitler, implying that not only is she a Nazi, but she’s an important Nazi. So, if she hates the club – why is she part of the club? What exactly did she talk about in her sleep that clued Henry Sr. in on her true identity?
This inconsistency in character really diminishes any pleasure to be found in Elsa’s villainy. She’s not the maniacal cackling villain, nor is she particularly nuanced or developed. Her actions often feel more like plot movements than any real motivation. When she betrays and kills Walter Donovan at the end, it doesn’t feel particularly earned or cathartic, more just “well, it’s time to wrap this up.” Speaking of Walter Donovan…
WHY IS HE A NAZI? This makes even less sense than Elsa, who at least has a German last name. We know precious little about Last Crusade‘s main villain, save two things: He’s rich and, like Jeff Bezos, he wants to live forever. Oh, yeah, and he’s a Nazi…because reasons? In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Belloq’s allegiance with the Nazis makes immediate sense. He is only one man and he needs their resources. Donovan is also just one man but, as we’ve covered, he’s very rich. Seems like he could fully finance an expedition without selling his mansion or experiencing any real inconvenience.
Last Crusade takes place in 1938, a year before World War II starts, so the Nazis have yet to invade Africa. They control none of the locations where the film takes place, save Berlin. Donovan and Elsa both readily admit to needing the expertise of Henry Jones Sr. to find the grail. That all makes sense. The real question is: Why do they need the Nazis? Why are they Nazis themselves? Well…let’s look into that.
Why are Nazis in Last Crusade?
Raiders of the Lost Ark was a huge hit. Off a $18 million budget, it made almost $400 million at the box office (in 1981 and in subsequent re-releases). Keep in mind, this was a film with almost no marketing that wasn’t predicted to do anything, and has gone on to be known in history as “the leggiest film ever” for how long it stayed dominant at the box office.
Its success, however, was not just in money. Raiders of the Lost Ark received near universal acclaim (currently 93% on Rotten Tomatoes). It received nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. While it didn’t win either of those, it did win in five categories, including Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects.
With success like that, a sequel is a no-brainer. Yet, instead – we got a prequel. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom takes place one year prior to the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and goes in different directions. Gone are Marion, the Nazis, and the desert – replaced with exotic animals, gloomy caves, kid sidekicks, and all the adventure of “India.”
The results? Off a budget of $28 million, it made roughly $330 million worldwide. It received two Academy Award nominations, winning one in Best Visual Effects. It currently sits at 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not bad, not by any stretch, but a far fall from Raiders of the Lost Ark‘s success.
So, when the time came to create a third one, it seems Steven Spielberg and George Lucas had more on the mind than just creative vision – it was time to hedge their bets.
Indiana Jones and the Cradle of Familiarity
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the least creative film in the series, and by a lot. It contains almost exact recreations of scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, notably its shots of Indiana Jones in the classroom with Marcus Brody coming to discuss his latest escapades. The Nazis returned because they were in Raiders of the Lost Ark and most people liked that film more than Temple of Doom. Sallah returned for the same reason (he has precious little to do in Last Crusade). The artifact in question also feels very familiar. Yes, the grail is different from the ark – but both are in Judeo-Christian mythology, rather than an entirely different religion all together.
It is difficult to watch Last Crusade, especially in a series binge, without feeling like you’ve seen this film before. It’s almost sad to think that, after just two movies, creative geniuses like Spielberg and Lucas were like “Well, people only really like this – so let’s just give them something safe.” There were so many directions the series could have gone in, but instead Indiana Jones developed series hallmarks. The Nazis are now the defacto villains, present in three of the five films. Indiana Jones is associated more with deserts than jungles, and Marion and Sallah have become the two most consistent returning characters.
When asked in an interview, film director Quentin Tarantino had this to say on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: “I don’t like the Sean Connery one. I don’t like the Sean Connery one at all. … That’s such a boring one. It’s boring. And he’s not an interesting character. The joke is made immediately. It’s like Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.” For those wondering, the film Tarantino references is a buddy cop/odd couple style movie starring Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty.
While I don’t fully agree with Tarantino’s opinion, I do think he raises a good point. The inclusion of Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr. is the biggest separator from Last Crusade and Raiders of the Lost Ark. How you feel about him, his character, and the comedy he and Harrison Ford share onscreen will go a long way to influence your opinion. For myself, I do think the theme of the movie justifies Connery’s inclusion, and I like how they personalized a story about obsession (would have worked more if we understood Elsa to be just as obsessed as the Jones boys before the finale).
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is not a bad film by any stretch. It has good acting, funny moments, and a really well-filmed tank sequence – yet it does feel like the only Indiana Jones sequel directly in the shadow of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and that imitation robs it of any true greatness it might have otherwise received.
Colin McMahon 